Computers and the Internet

Chronology of Coverage

Mar. 29, 2015

Patenting everything is so 2005. Companies like Facebook and Tesla Motors have followed the lead of open-source software, and now expose hardware designs possibly worth millions. MORE

Mar. 26, 2015

Turkey blocks website Tavka Haber, which has published extremist content meant to lure Turks to Islamic State and evaded country's internet regulations for years. MORE

Mar. 26, 2015

Editorial welcomes decision striking down restrictions on Internet speech in India, where officials have been banning films, intimidating authors and arresting Internet users; observes while Indian Supreme Court's move is improvement in increasingly restrictive atmosphere, it still leaves room for government to block websites on the basis of national security. MORE

Mar. 25, 2015

Indian Supreme Court voids section of law that let authorities jail people for offensive online posts; decision is seen as watershed ruling on free speech in country. MORE

Mar. 22, 2015

New York families are increasingly conducting search for new home with help of Internet-savvy teenagers; brokers report growing trend of teens and preteens getting involved in everything from finding listings to acquiring granular knowledge about amenities, neighborhoods and local transportation. MORE

Mar. 14, 2015

Turkey's censorship policy, which blocks access to websites government finds objectionable, does not extend to sites that advocate Islamic extremism or even some that recruit Turks to join Islamic State; some critics say Pres Recep Tayyip Erdogan's selective crackdown on freedom of speech reflect's government's Islamic values. MORE

Mar. 12, 2015

Kit Eaton App Smart column compares mobile apps that offer options for those trying to sift through Internet to find best content to read and share with others; recommends IA writer as one of best writing applications available on Android operating systems. MORE

Mar. 11, 2015

Editorial underscores importance of extending Internet access to more of world's population; suggests governments can help by pursuing more equitable economic growth, including encouraging competition among Internet service providers; highlights several efforts on part of private companies to expand access. MORE

Mar. 10, 2015

Pres Obama launches TechHire, initiative to train more people for higher-paying jobs in high-technology services like software development and computer security; says 21 cities or regions and 300 private-sector employers will expand training programs with $100 million of federal grants. MORE

Mar. 8, 2015

Ross Douthat Op-Ed column reflects on conversation between Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman and Israeli historian Yuval Noah Harari, featured on website Edge.org, which explores anxiety about possibility that technology will make many human lives superfluous; notes that Harari makes case that ideas have yet to be thought up that can offer solution; counters that reformers who have made biggest difference merged new ideas with old moral and religious commitments. MORE

Mar. 6, 2015

DealBook Online; United States Marshals Service reports that 14 registered bidders took part in auction for 50,000 Bitcoins, worth about $14 million, that were seized in connection with online bazaar Silk Road. MORE

Mar. 5, 2015

The Upshot; many cities around the country are trying to rebrand themselves as newest high-tech innovation hub, but only those that feature a special mix of factors, like a good research university or cross-industry collaborations, are likely to compete with Silicon Valley. MORE

Mar. 5, 2015

Scientists reporting in journal Nature say they have achieved important step toward developing quantum computer; report they have created error-correction system that stabilizes qubits, the unstable main element of quantum computing. MORE

Mar. 2, 2015

Chinese technology firms are addressing food safety issues in country's vast food supply chain, seeking to upgrade old systems with data collection, smartphone apps and online markets; they are attempting to earn trust of customers by helping them avoid tainted food, but food safety scandals still occur often. MORE

Mar. 2, 2015

World's biggest mobile carriers and tech behemoths like Google and Facebook will meet to sign contracts and network at four-day Mobile World Congress in Barcelona; companies often tend to have uneasy relationships, relying on each other to give customers Internet access and online services while competing to be consumers' main provider of Internet on smartphones and mobile devices. MORE

Mar. 2, 2015

Superfish's deal to put its software, also called adware, on Lenovo PCs has been disastrous, impugning business practices of both firms and putting negative impression on adware; security experts say Superfish's particularly aggressive software hijacked security system that is meant to protect online communications and commerce. MORE

Feb. 26, 2015

Farhad Manjoo State of the Art column uses example of Vivek Wadhwa, one of loudest voices calling for gender diversity in technology industry, as cautionary example for men who wade into complex and delicate issue; notes while Wadhwa seems sincere in his interest in gender diversity, way he responded to criticism from women about his assumptions made him an opponent rather than ally in pursuing more diverse tech industry. MORE

Feb. 23, 2015

Documents related to civil lawsuits are increasingly finding their way online, drawing large and heavily opinionated audiences that legal experts say may be shifting dynamics of jurisprudence; trend is particularly strong in cases related to gender or sexual misconduct, where plaintiffs are finding unexpected online support and defendants find themselves scrambling to clear their names from potentially unsubstantiated accusations. MORE

Feb. 22, 2015

Jenna Wortham Search Results column describes online practice of 'shipping,' short for 'relationship-ing,' where fans of television shows invent romantic relationships between characters; notes show that has one of the most vibrant shipping fan cultures is Sherlock, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. MORE

Feb. 20, 2015

Congress wants to permanently ban taxes on high-speed Internet service. But will the F.C.C.’s plan for utility-style regulation open a door to new charges? MORE

Feb. 14, 2015

European tech entrepreneurs are adapting to a marketplace dominated by their vastly overfunded American competitors by focusing on niche or local markets. MORE

Feb. 14, 2015

Pres Obama signs executive order urging private sector companies to cooperate with federal government in sharing data on cyberthreats, in industry Obama refers to as 'Wild Wild West'; order does not exempt companies from liability if shared data leads to legal action, something only legislation can do; Obama speaks to cybersecurity leaders at summit meeting at Stanford University. MORE

Feb. 13, 2015

Pres Obama will meet with nation's top tech firms at Stanford University to discuss array of cybersecutiry issues; meeting comes at time of deep estrangement between Washington and Silicon Valley, as Obama seeks to prevent companies from shoring up encryption on commercial products that will make it harder for government to crack systems. MORE

Feb. 9, 2015

Vietnam's high-tech industry is booming, but some analysts are concerned that new and pending government regulations, which dictate how businesses must be run, may hurt growth and entrepreneurship. MORE

Feb. 4, 2015

Closing arguments are heard in case against Ross W Ulbricht, accused of running online back market website Silk Road; prosecution says site was Ulbricht's obsession and livelihood while defense argues that it was started as experiment and that Ulbricht was framed. MORE

Feb. 2, 2015

Tom Wheeler, the F.C.C. chairman, will seek to invalidate state laws that limit community-owned Internet providers from expanding. The proposal focuses on North Carolina and Tennessee, but could affect many other states. MORE

Jan. 31, 2015

Editorial contends that series of steps China has taken to tightly control Internet communication and devices will harm both Chinese economy and its international business relations; holds that country's proposed regulations, which are aimed at suppressing dissent and promoting Chinese technology at expense of foreign industry, amount to protectionism and will discourage trade negotiations with rest of the world. MORE

Jan. 30, 2015

Chinese officials are further tightening and restricting Internet access; crackdown is angering artists, entrepreneurs and professors who say country's economy is being choked at time of declining growth; multinational companies also worry about rising online restrictions of virtual private networks, or VPNs. MORE

Jan. 30, 2015

The Upshot; digital ads have been slow to catch on in political sphere, despite extensive talk about their potential impact; confidence remains low that ads will reach their target audience, leading to a continued reliance on traditional television advertising. MORE

Jan. 30, 2015

Op-Ed article by psychologist Susan Pinker notes research showing increased technology in schools has potential to widen class divide in education rather than narrow it; observes that children in poor families are often exposed to more screen time than wealthier peers and, with less supervision by overworked parents, use computers for largely noneducational purposes; holds technology alone will not fix problem, and says money for computers should be matched by teacher training. MORE

Jan. 30, 2015

Ken Johnson Critic's Notebook reflects that many art museums now offer detailed and informative websites that often feature their entire collection online along with related materials; notes that this represents new and positive direction as museums seek to expand their audiences. MORE

Jan. 23, 2015

David Brooks Op-Ed column submits that nature of online dating websites, self-focus, is antithetical to helping users form real relationships or find love; says true relationships require participants to make 'enchantment leap' to selfless, emotional and poetic thinking, qualities that are badly needed in technical society. MORE

Jan. 22, 2015

Announcement by Google and Fidelity that they have invested $1 billion in Space Exploration Technologies illustrates scale of Google's ambition in trying to spread Internet access to areas across globe; company would benefit both by increasing number of Internet users who will see its revenue-producing ads, and by being able to better circumnavigate Internet service providers. MORE

Jan. 22, 2015

Personal Tech Q&A on reverting to previous version of Android mobile operating system; creating hybrid wireless and wired home network; Tip of the Week keyboard shortcuts computer users can use instead of mouse. MORE

Jan. 22, 2015

New generation of online media moguls are foregoing long power lunches, in which previous generation had networked and made deals, opting instead to eat at their desks and hobnob over hastily consumed coffee or cocktails. MORE

Jan. 22, 2015

Nick Bilton Disruptions column laments slow state of Wi-Fi service on airline flights; says cost of service has gone up while quality has gone down. MORE

Jan. 19, 2015

Growing popularity of online insurance portals is threatening livelihood of traditional insurance agents, who collect 10 percent commission on policyholders' payments; services, which often present side-by-side comparison of policies, are still a nascent industry, but Silicon Valley insiders say they could soon upend the 40,000 insurance agencies throughout the United States. MORE

Jan. 19, 2015

Audience measurement firm ComScore is set to introduce new metric for tracking viewers across computers, mobile and other streaming devices; initial research finds that tracking alternative viewing habits increased total digital viewership of television networks by 8 to 30 percent; product reflects growing demand among advertisers for more specific information on digital users. MORE

Jan. 16, 2015

Editorial contends European leaders are taking misguided actions to reduce hate speech and prevent terrorism in aftermath of Charlie Hebdo attack; warns suggested censoring of hate speech and providing means of monitoring conversations by Internet service providers would be potentially ineffectual, invasive and dangerous; holds government should continue to use targeted intelligence gathering to stem terrorist threats, but not censorship and surveillance. MORE

Jan. 15, 2015

Website failure frustrates applicants for New York City's new municipal identification program on third day following its introduction; site functionality remains spotty despite efforts of city officials. MORE

Jan. 15, 2015

Pres Obama announces executive actions he will take to expand access to high-speed Internet and to make it cheaper; announcement comes in Cedar Falls, Iowa, where he also calls on Federal Communications Commission to override state laws blocking communities from providing high-speed Internet access; telecommunications industry says Obama's actions amount to circumventing Congress and state lawmakers. MORE

Jan. 15, 2015

Personal Tech Q&A on determining whether computer has software robot controlled by another person installed on it and backing up solid-state drives; also offers Tip of the Week about Twitter's search feature. MORE

Jan. 14, 2015

Opening statements are given in trial of Ross W Ulbricht, who is accused of running underground black-market Internet site Silk Road under pseudonym Dread Pirate Roberts; charges include narcotics trafficking, computer hacking, money laundering and orchestrating murders; Ulbricht has pleaded not guilty. MORE

Jan. 14, 2015

Pres Obama will call on Federal Communications Commission to to overrule state laws restricting competition among Internet service providers and preventing communities from expanding high-speed service into rural areas; changes are crucial to Obama's plan to allow for greater ISP innovation and to bring United States in line with other countries that have faster connections on average. MORE

Jan. 13, 2015

Dr Michael Bowling study in journal Science reports that scientists have developed computer algorithm that produces winning strategy for poker game Limit Texas Hold 'em. MORE

Jan. 12, 2015

David Carr The Media Equation column observes International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas has become more than just a technology spectacle of ingenuity and design; says the show has an attraction beyond gadgets, with marketers and consumers brands from other industries networking and setting up deals. MORE

Jan. 10, 2015

Retiring column; older workers who are considering retirement may include in their considerations factors like life expectancy when deciding at what age they should stop working; other considerations like how computer technology is changing some workplaces and possibility of age discrimination in hiring can also affect the decision. MORE

Jan. 8, 2015

Nick Bilton Disruptions column observes the Internet has made wide variety of pornography easily accessible to children; says it is important for parents to educate their children about both sex and online pornography. MORE

Jan. 8, 2015

Humorous Internet URLs that make in-jokes or comment on article content are Internet trend. MORE

Web queries indicate that pregnant women around the world tend to crave many of the same things: ice, salt, sweets, spicy foods. But searches (by anyone, men or women) also find differences among countries about pregnancy-related concerns.